Galatians 3

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Luke 10

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

St. Paul teaches us that “if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. … The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:21-22,24).

So then, the Law, which is good and right serves to prepare us to hear the Gospel promises which offer God’s mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross. If we could be righteous in God’s eyes by our keeping of His Law, the Law would be used to justify us in God’s eyes. But the Scriptures teach us that not a single one of us has kept God’s Law as He requires. We have sinned against God, our Maker, in our thoughts, desires, words and deeds.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 says: “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”

Romans 3:19-20 tells us: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

And, again, Galatians 3:22 says: “But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”

And so, the Law is indeed our school teacher, showing us our shortcomings, sins and wickedness in God’s eyes and preparing us to hear and take hold of the Gospel promises of forgiveness and life eternal through faith in Christ Jesus and His perfect righteousness under the Law and His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for the remission of all our sins.

When do we speak God’s Law and when do we speak God’s Gospel? As the 1943 “A Short Explanation of Dr. Luther’s Small Catechism,” in question 17, points out, “the Law must be preached to all men, but especially to impenitent sinners; the Gospel must be preached to sinners who are troubled in their minds because of their sins.”

So, when the lawyer stood up and tested Jesus with the question: “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” should Jesus respond with the Law or the Gospel? What did Jesus say? “What is written in the law? how readest thou?” (Luke 10:26).

The lawyer answered Jesus: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself” (v. 27).

Jesus’ response may surprise you: “Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live” (v. 28).

In fact, on another occasion, Jesus answered in the same way. It says in Matthew 22:34-40: “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

But could this expert in Jewish law who wanted to know what works were required of him to enter into eternal life actually do what the law requires? Could he love the LORD God with all his heart, soul and strength as Deuteronomy 6:5 commands? Did he love his neighbor as himself, as required in Leviticus 19:18?

And notice the words of verse 29: “But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?” He hoped to narrow the scope of the commandment a bit so that he could be justified by his obedience to the commandments.

But, how did Jesus answer his question? He told the parable of the Samaritan who loved his enemy, showed mercy on him and cared for his wounds when others who certainly should have exemplified love for God and neighbor passed by and did nothing to help. And, when this lawyer recognized who was a good neighbor to the man who fell among thieves, Jesus told this lawyer to “go, and do thou likewise” (v. 37).

Again, Jesus preached the Law. Why? Because, until this man recognized that he did not measure up to the demands of the Law but was condemned by the Law as a sinner, he wasn’t prepared to hear the Gospel. Until he recognized that he had failed to keep the Law and that the Law actually condemned him, he was not ready to hear God’s offer and promise of pardon and forgiveness through faith in Christ’s perfect obedience and His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world.

Does this still happen today? Certainly! There are plenty of people who count themselves righteous under the Law and think that God will receive them into heaven because of their good works and deeds. And, if they consider themselves to be righteous on the basis of their own works and life, we need to remind them of the full demands of God’s Law — not just some outward obedience but true and perfect obedience from the heart.

Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount: “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. … Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:20, 48).

But, when the Law has done its work and the Spirit of God convicts a sinner’s heart and reveals to him God’s wrath against sin, then it is time to preach the Gospel and point the condemned sinner to Christ Jesus, who kept God’s Law perfectly in thoughts, desires, words and deeds, and who took the burden and guilt of our sins upon Himself and bore our just punishment when He died on the cross and then rose again.

In Galatians 3, St. Paul wrote: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (v. 10). But then he also wrote: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (v. 13).

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (v. 24).

We continue to make this distinction between Law and Gospel yet today in applying God’s Word to our own lives and to the lives of others.

We use the Law of God to reveal God’s perfect will and what He requires of all to be counted righteous in His sight on the basis of our life and works. We use the Law to expose the sin and evil in our lives — to see our shortcomings and our guilt before God. And, we use the Law to see the just punishment we deserve on account of our sins — eternal death and damnation. As it says in Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.”

But when we see our own sinfulness and guilt before God, when we come to know that we stand condemned under God’s Law, we look in faith to the promises of the Gospel, that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16); that “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2); that “He hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:6-7).

And, though we are not justified by the Law of God, all who believe God’s Gospel promises are justified through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross.

As Jesus said, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

God grant that we see our utter sinfulness under God’s Law and take hold of the Gospel promises by faith that we might be justified through faith in Christ Jesus, our Savior, and receive everlasting life! Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” 2 Corinthians 13:5a

The Word of God calls upon all who call themselves “Christian” to examine and test themselves to see if they are truly in the faith. And this is indeed important, for many deceive themselves and think that they are Christians and all is well with their souls when, in fact, they are living in sin and unbelief and on the road to eternal damnation!

To test yourself, consider these questions:

1. Are you genuinely sorry for your sins against God and His commandments, or are you securely or intentionally continuing on in your own sinful ways?

2. Do you trust in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross for forgiveness and eternal salvation, or do you rely on your own works or life to merit God’s acceptance and a place in His heavenly kingdom?

3. And, as a test of your honesty in answering the first two questions, do you sincerely desire, with God’s help, to amend your life and live for Christ in accord with His Word, or are you unwilling to change your lifestyle and give up every sin or evil in your life and follow Christ?

If you are not sorry for all your sins, are not trusting in Christ Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for salvation, or are not sincerely desiring and seeking to amend your life, you fail the test and ought to consider the consequence of continuing in sin and unbelief and repent before it is too late. Cf. Psalm 32; Psalm 51; 1 John 1:5 – 2:6.

The Bible tells us: “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

The Bible also says: “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). In other words, if we continue on in our sinful ways, we will suffer spiritual and eternal death and damnation. If we repent and look to Christ Jesus and His cross for pardon and forgiveness, God will forgive our sins and grant us the gift of eternal life!

In Psalm 139, David prayed: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (v.23-24).

O dearest Jesus, for the sake of Your holy life and innocent sufferings and death upon the cross, forgive me for all my sins and iniquities, cleanse my heart and grant me the sincere desire to amend my sinful ways and live for You. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

How is it that this world and the universe came to be? How did life begin and why does it go on? Is it all the result of chance over extreme lengths of time? Or is it the result of an intelligent creator who wisely designed and created all things?

While many have speculated and theorized, there is one eye-witness account of how all came to be and who is behind it.

And this account is foundational for the Christian Faith. If God did not create the heavens and the earth and all things, we are not accountable to Him. But, if the creation account is true and God did create this world and give us life, each of us must answer to Him for how we have lived the life He gave us.

Many scoff and criticize this account and offer alternative theories with no foundation in truth in an attempt to escape the accountability which goes along with the creation account, but wisdom calls upon us to seek the truth and accept it, along with any accountability which accompanies that truth.

That one eye-witness account is recorded for all to know in the first two chapters of Genesis. It is the account of the Creator Himself, recorded by Moses for all to read and know the truth.

That account begins: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Please take the time now to read Genesis 1:1 — 2:3.

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

And again, departing from the borders of Tyre and Sidon, he came to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. And they bring to him someone who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they implore him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude and put his fingers into his ears, and having spit he touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he sighed and says to him, “Effatha,” (that is, “Be opened”). And immediately his ears were opened, the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. And he charged them that they should tell no man. But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it, and were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” Mark 7:31-37

In Mark, chapter 7, we have the account of Jesus healing a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. But notice how Jesus healed this man. He didn’t just put his hand on him and heal him; Jesus took this man aside from the crowds of people where He could have his full attention. He put His fingers in the man’s ears so he would understand that Jesus was going to open his ears that he might hear. Having spit with His mouth, Jesus touched his tongue, indicating that He was about to take away the impediment in his speech. And Jesus looked up to heaven so that this man would know that Jesus was calling upon God to do this miracle and God would receive the glory.

Jesus then sighed and said to the man: “Effatha,” (that is, “Be opened”). And the Scriptures tell us that “immediately his ears were opened, the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.”

The people who saw this mighty work of Jesus were astonished. Even though Jesus told them to tell no one, they couldn’t help themselves and told everyone what Jesus had done.

It was truly an amazing thing when Jesus opened the ears of one who was deaf or opened the eyes of one who was blind. But even more amazing is when Jesus opens the eyes and ears of those spiritually blind and deaf to see and hear with understanding His life-giving word!

It happens when Jesus takes us aside from the noise and distractions of this world and speaks and applies to us His life-giving Word, words of forgiveness and life through faith in Him and His blood shed upon the cross for the sins of all. And in the Sacraments, He does so in a very personal and descriptive way, washing away our sins in the waters of Baptism and giving us, in the Lord’s Supper, to partake of His sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world.

Consider Jesus’ words in John 5:25-27: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and is now, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And those who hear shall live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has given to the Son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man.”

Though people close their eyes and ears to the Word of God and are often hardened in their foolish unbelief and without understanding (cf. Isa. 29:9-12), God, through the preaching of His Word, opens the eyes of those who are spiritually blind and the ears of those who are spiritually deaf. It is as St. Paul writes: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

Isaiah, in chapter 35, verse 5, prophesied of Jesus and His work, saying, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.” And, in Isaiah 29:18, we read, “And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.”

Through the preaching of the Word of God, our Lord Jesus opens the eyes of the spiritually blind and the ears of the spiritually deaf. He raises the spiritually dead to life. He creates faith in men’s hearts and unlooses tongues to sing His praise.

It is as the Bible says of Jesus in John 1:4: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

And, Jesus said in John 6:63: “It is the Spirit that revives. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life.”

So today, Jesus, through the preaching of His Word, calls people to repent of their sins and place their faith in Him as the Messiah and Savior of the world for pardon and forgiveness. He calls people to come to Him in faith and receive life everlasting; and the Holy Spirit, working through the Word opens blind eyes and deaf ears to see and hear.

Jesus calls, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Think of Luther’s explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith: in which Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all sins to me and all believers, and will at the last day raise up me and all the dead, and give unto me and all believers in Christ eternal life.”

To most, the Bible remains a closed book — they may have read from it and studied it but do not understand its message. But, by the gracious working of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of God’s Word, Jesus still opens eyes, unstops ears and gives understanding that people might see their utter sinfulness and repent, looking to Christ Jesus and His atoning sacrifice for pardon, forgiveness and life eternal.

God grant you eyes that see, ears that hear, hearts that understand and believe the message of His Word that you might obtain pardon and eternal peace through faith in Jesus’ name. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt. 11:15). Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version.]

“According to the grace of God which is given to me, I have laid the foundation like a wise master-builder, and another builds upon it. But let every man take heed how he builds upon it. For no man can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-11

Upon what is your faith built? What is the central focus and teaching of your church? Is it on Christ and His innocent sufferings and death for the sins of the world? Or is it out of focus, off-kilter, and built upon some other teaching or foundation?

The well-known hymn verse by Samuel Stone reads: “The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord; She is His new creation by water and the Word. From heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride; With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died” (The Lutheran Hymnal, #473).

The Church of Jesus Christ is built upon no other foundation than Jesus Christ and His cross. He created His Church by dying on the cross and making atonement for the sins of all and then sending out His disciples with the good news of forgiveness of sins and life eternal through faith in His name.

As believers in Christ and members of His Church, we “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone” (Eph. 2:20). The “foundation of the apostles and prophets” is none other than their teaching, which is recorded for us in the Holy Bible, the Word of God.

And what is their teaching? It is Christ and His cross! It is the teaching that we are sinners who have come short of God’s holy demands but that we have been redeemed by the shed blood of Christ Jesus, the only begotten Son of God made man. It is the teaching that through faith in the crucified and risen Christ, we sinners have forgiveness for all our sins and everlasting life in heaven.

In John 3:14-16, Jesus said: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Are other foundations ever laid? Most certainly! But, when other foundations are laid, and Christ and His cross are no longer the foundation and chief cornerstone, those who are built upon those other foundations are not Christian and their assemblies are not the Church of Jesus Christ in that place. Rather, their assemblies are cults — man-made organizations which lead only to destruction!

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). And, the Bible also says, “There is not salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Apart from Christ and His blood, shed upon the cross for the sins of the world, there is no salvation for sinners like you and me! No works which we can do, no religious acts or ceremonies of man, nothing but the holy life and innocent sufferings and death of Jesus Christ in our stead can atone for our sins and save us from the wrath of God we so deserve on account of our sins. That is why it is so foolish for man to build upon any other foundation than Christ and His Word.

This is why St. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth: “According to the grace of God which is given to me, I have laid the foundation like a wise master-builder, and another builds upon it. But let every man take heed how he builds upon it. For no man can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:10-11).

St. Paul preached “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2; cf. 1:23-24). He taught that all of us “have sinned and come short of the glory of God” but that all who believe are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood” (Rom. 3:23-25; Cf. v. 19-28).

St. Paul also taught that we receive this salvation in Christ through faith and not by any merit or work of our own.

He wrote to the believers in Galatia in Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ so that we may be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

When we simply believe that, in Christ Jesus and for the sake of His cross, we sinners obtain pardon and have forgiveness of God, God’s forgiveness becomes our own and we have eternal life in heaven (cf. Rom. 3:28; 5:1-2).

This is the foundation he, by the gracious working of God, has laid. And, this is the only foundation upon which the Church of Jesus Christ can be built and upon which we can rest securely and be saved!

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may trust in You alone for our salvation and build upon You and Your cross as the chief cornerstone of all our teaching. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible.]